US Infant Homicide Rates Doubled from 1970-2000

Reuters Health via Yahoo ^ | 12-10-02 | Keith Mulvihill

[Pharmboy]

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The rate of infant homicides in the US has more than doubled over the last 30 years, according to a new report by Child Trends, a not-for-profit research organization in Washington, DC.

Between 1970 and 2000, the official infant homicide rate in the US increased from 4.3 to 9.1 murders per 100,000 children under age one, according to the report.

"Almost one infant homicide per day was reported in the year 2000 (349 total)," the report states.

"Although tragic, the numbers of children who die each year from infant homicide do not indicate that a huge social epidemic is taking place. Nonetheless, the data offer important information that may be useful in trying to reduce the numbers of infants who are victims of homicide each year," said Brett Brown, director of social research for the organization and a project director of Child Trends DataBank.

Brown explained that, most likely, two factors play a role in the increase in the number of infant homicides. For one, more babies are being born to unwed teens, who are known to be at highest risk for infant homicide, Brown told Reuters Health in an interview.

Secondly, the reporting of infant homicides has become more accurate over the last 30 years, Brown pointed out.

On the whole, teens have less social support to help with parenting, and many teen parents are likely to be poor. They don't know much about parenting, and they may be very stressed, Brown said.

Teen mothers are most at risk for infant homicide during the first week of the baby's life, according to Brown. Thereafter, until the child reaches one year of age, men--such as the baby's father or a mother's boyfriend--are more likely to kill a child.

With regard to race, the data indicate that non-Hispanic blacks are "substantially more at risk than other races to die of an intentional injury during their first year of life."

In 2000, non-Hispanic blacks had an infant homicide rate of 25.6 per 100,000, while non-Hispanic whites had a rate of 6 per 100,000, and Hispanics had a rate of 7.3 per 100,000.

Brown said that more African-American unwed teens have babies compared to other ethnic groups and that in rural areas, where more whites live, infant homicides are likely to be underreported.

"The findings should offer more insight to policymakers about who best to reach out to reduce the number of infants that are murdered," said Brown.

The entire infant homicide report can be viewed on the organization's Web site at www.childtrendsdatabank.org.

[Pharmboy]

Maybe if "abortion on demand for whatever reason you'd like" and "late-term abortion" (baby murder) weren't so common, we would not see stats like these.

I'm sure Prof. Singer from Princeton and Planned (Non-)Parenthood are pleased with this trend.

[jwalsh07]

You nailed it Singer Syndrome, as the slide continues.

[MHGinTN]

And the culture of death to the innocent grows by insidious degrees.

[Zack Nguyen]

Bump this horrifying article. Pro-aborts should be asked this question the next time they appear on one of the news shows.

[Mr. Bird]

Brown said that more African-American unwed teens have babies compared to other ethnic groups and that in rural areas, where more whites live, infant homicides are likely to be underreported.

Oh, please. Why not just note the disparity without coming up with some really stupid (illogical) explanation. The rate is 4 times as high for blacks; do they think the masses living in rural America are hiding that many murders? What idiots.

[Demidog]

Most of these homocides occur under the care of CPS. The Author conveniently failed to mention that. Abolish the Mondale act.

[Atlas Sneezed]

"Pro-aborts should be asked this question the next time they appear on one of the news shows."

They would reply (dubiously) that the homicide rate reflects unwanted children that were born because their mothers couldn't readily get the abortions they needed due to the cost, regulations, or intimidation by protestors.

Or not.

[Bogolyubski]

Gee, I thought that abortion on demand was going to make "every chahl a wanned chahl" (a quote from St. Jocelyn Elders). What possibly could have gone wrong?

[jlogajan]

Pro-aborts should be asked this question the next time they appear on one of the news shows.

Huh? How can you kill a new born that has already been aborted before birth? Your "question" makes no sense.

[LiteKeeper]

bump

[Zack Nguyen]

More likely they will simply say nothing at all, and avoid any news outlet that might be tempted to ask.

[Zack Nguyen]

The basis of my question is that the heinous disregard for life described above comes about partially as a result of the pro-abortion culture of death that currently resides in America.

[Pharmboy]

...and a re-bump for the morning.

[hellinahandcart]

This is what finally pushed me off the fence, regarding abortion. It was while I was watching a news story about Amy Grossberg and her boyfriend, two college kids from good upperclass families who concealed her pregnancy and rented a hotel room so they could deliver her baby in secret and then kill it. I was horrified. I remember that I was standing up at the time, very upset, and at one point I yelled "Why didn't she just have an abortion instead of killing her baby?!"

And it was like I was hearing myself for the first time. Knocked the breath right out of me. I actually had to sit down, or I would have fallen over.

Infanticide is to be expected, when abortion is elevated to the level of the sacred. If the fetus doesn't matter, why would a newborn? An infant? A toddler?

[hellinahandcart]

This is what finally pushed me off the fence, regarding abortion. It was while I was watching a news story about Amy Grossberg and her boyfriend, two college kids from good upperclass families who concealed her pregnancy and rented a hotel room so they could deliver her baby in secret and then kill it. I was horrified. I remember that I was standing up at the time, very upset, and at one point I yelled "Why didn't she just have an abortion instead of killing her baby?!"

And it was like I was hearing myself for the first time. Knocked the breath right out of me. I actually had to sit down, or I would have fallen over.

Infanticide is to be expected, when abortion is elevated to the level of the sacred. If the fetus doesn't matter, why would a newborn? An infant? A toddler?

[hellinahandcart]

'scuse double post...